The weekend weather is suppose to be nice in much of the state. They expect the weather pattern to carry into the Monday, as well. And I’m thinking the fishing will pick up on the lakes.

The walleye and northern fishing will continue to be a little slow, as they wrap up their annual spawn. The trout fishing should start to pick up on the Helena reservoirs like Holter (pictured above).

The nicer the weather, the better the fishing. Jim Johnson, from Hi Country Snack Foods, reported Wednesday that trout fishing was slow on Holter. But like I said earlier, it should turn on again this weekend.

Perch fishing on Flathead Lake also was slower this week with all the weather patterns that were passing through the area. I went fishing with Arlyn Lemer, from Lolo, on Tuesday and it was very slow till about 3:30. At that time the wind calmed down, the sun came out and the water started to clear up.

We were fishing in 4 feet of water and any kind of wave action makes the water muddy. With the water cleared and the sun out, the water temperature began to warm. Once that happened, you couldn’t keep the perch off your hook. I asked Jim Vashro, via e-mail, if most of the female perch still have their eggs, how much longer will the bite last on east Polson Bay on Flathead Lake. This was his Reply:

“Did some research (learned some things). Perch spawn from mid 40s to mid 50s. I would guess East Bay is about high 40s right now? Photoperiod (daylight) also drives it to some degree. That’s why perch usually start around mid April. But one cold Spring several years ago or last year (?), the spawn didn’t kick in until early May. Eggs incubate 8-10 days up to 20 days in some cases. That’s probably the most vulnerable period for mortality. Perch spawn mostly at night, something I didn’t know.”

Thanks to Jim for taking the time to enlighten us all about the spawning routine that perch go through every Spring.

Good luck this weekend!

Captain